Apparatus for producing audible moving pictures.



H. HESS.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AUDIBLE MOVING PICTURES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20,1913.

1,222,626. Patented Apr. 17,1917.

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IIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIII min H. HESS.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AUDIBLE MOVING PICTURES.

APPLICATION FILED lUNE 20,1913.

1,222,626. A Patented Apr. 17,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wi/tme/aoao: a i 1 5231 61mm 2 HENRY HESS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AUDIBLE MOVING PICTURES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

Application filed J'une 20, 1918. Serial No. 774,795.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Hnss, a citi- ,zen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Audible Moving Pictures, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to the production of talking or audible animated picture scenes, plays or actions such as are produced by the synchronous reproduction of a phonograph record and a moving picture record, and the object of the invention is to improve the character of the reproduced sounds so that they will be distinct, clear and natural and will be produced in synchronous relation to the corresponding actions as portrayed by the moving picture record.

In making a phonographic record and a moving picture record for a given play or action, the phonographic apparatus and the moving picture apparatus are operated in synchronism, but by reason of the fact that the actors are frequently changing their positions, the sounds will act on the receiver of the phonograph with little or no uniformity,

the exigencies in assuming the proper poses, actions and positions, requiring that some of the sounds be uttered at a much greater distance from the receiving instrument than other sounds, and also requiring that the sounds be directed at varying and different angles with relation to the receiving instrument. As a result of these conditions there will be a lack of clarity in tone, and strength of the reproduced sounds.

I propose to overcome these objections in one way, by preparing the phonographic record and the moving picture record in synchronism as usual with the actors observing no more particular or special care in talking into the phonograph than has heretofore been the practice. I then prepare a second phonographic record of the same words or sounds as the first, but independently of the other record and separately therefrom, but in this instance the actors will talk directly into the phonograph at a uniform distance therefrom. This second phonographic record will of course in these circumstances, not be in synchronism with the moving picture record, but the reproduced sounds will be clear and distinct. This second phonographicrecord is then reproduced simultaneously with the reproduction of the moving picture record by operating the phonographic apparatus and the moving picture apparatus at uniform and preferably slow speed, by means of which action, it may be determined to what degree and in what respects the two records may be nonsynchronous, and at what particular points in the records such inaccuracies in synchronism occur. ()bservations may be made during such reproduction, notes taken, and a record made in any suitable manner, to show the relations of the two records. The second phonographic record is now again reproduced simultaneously with the moving picture record, but at normal speed, and in this reproduction, and with the record of inaccuracies as a guide, such changes are made in the speed of one or. the other of the records, preferably the picture record, as will cause the reproduction of the two records to be made in synchronism. As an alternative method of prpcedure, instead of making the comparison between the second phonographic record and the moving picture record as above described, the two phonographic records may be reproduced together and compared to ascertain their relations, and since the first phonographic record was prepared synchronously with the moving picture record, corrections made to bring the 'two phono raphic records into synchronism, would a so make the second phonographic record synchronous with the moving picture record. The correction of inaccuracies to make the reproduction of the second phonographic record synchronous with the moving picture record may be made in any appropriate manner and by any appropriate andsuitable mechanism. I propose however to adopt for this purpose a correcting member formed with reference to the record of inaccuracies in synchronism,

.which correcting member is arranged to so naaaeae paratus or with the moving picture apparatus, and acting automatically to vary the speed of one of the records predeterminately in relation to that of the other record to effect the reproduction of the records in synchronism.

in the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing one form of apparatus, by way of example, em-

bodying my invention and suitable for carrying my improved method into edect.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same, with parts broken away.

Referring to the drawings:

1 represents a phonographic apparatus, and 2 represents a moving picture apparatus which devices may be driven by any suitable mechanism to cause them to operate in synchronism. in the present instance I have shown a common operating motor 3, from which driving connections extend to both the phonographic apparatus and the moving picture apparatus; but it will be understood that separate motors may be employed for this purpose provided they are continuously synchronous. The driving connections from the motor to the phonographic apparatus comprise a shaft 4 mounted in bearings r and 4: and having a bevel gear wheel 5 fixed thereto and intermeshing with a gear wheel 6 fixed to the motor shaft. At one end the shaft has fixed to it a bevel gear 7 meshing with a bevel gear 8 on the driving shaft 9 of the phonographic apparatus, by which means the rotation of the motor imparted to the shaft l will be transmitted to the phonographic apparatus. The driving connections from the motor to the moving picture apparatus comprises a bevel gear 10 on that end of the shaft 4: opposite the bevel gear 7, which gear 10 meshes with a bevel gear 11 on the end of a shaft 12 mounted in bearings 13, and extending at right angles to the shaft 4-, the shaft 12 carrying at its opposite end a bevel gear 1% meshing with a gear 15 on one end of a shaft 16. The shaft 16 extends at right angles to the shaft 12 and is mounted in suitable bearings 17 and 18., This shaft has splined to it a bevelgear 19 meshing with a bevel gear 20 fixed to one end of a shaft 21 which carries at its opposite end a sprocket wheel 23. The sprocket wheel engages the lower stretch of an endless chain sprocket 24 passing at one end over a sprocket wheel 25 connected to the shaft 26 actuating the moving picture film, and passing at its,other end over an idler sprocket 27. These driving connections from the motor to the moving picture apparatus will act on the rotation of the motor to operate the apparatus, and as both apparatuses are driven from the same prime motor, they will be operated by said motor in unison and synchronously.

tion being in the speed of the moving picture film, and l provide for-effecting such variations automatically and predetermi nately in accordance'with known inaccuracies determined by a preliminary comparison of said records. This variation of speed is efiected, in the form of mechanism shown, by means of a correcting member in the form of a rotary cam 30 arranged to act on a horizontally movable slide 31 on which the shaft 21 carrying the sprocket wheel 23 before alluded to is mounted, the rotation of the cam causing the slide to be moved back and forth and giving the sprocket wheel a movement of translation lengthwise of the chain. These actions of the wheel will vary the speed of the chain, from' a normal constant speed due to the rotation alone of the sprocket wheel, to a retarded or to an accelerated speed due to the combined translation of the wheel and its rotation, according to the contour of the cam. The cam is mounted on and operated by a horizontal shaft 32 mounted in bearings 3333 and extending at right angles to the traveling movement of the sprocket chain, and the shaft has splined to it a driving pinion 34 driven by a pinion 35 on the shaft 12 before alluded to, whereby the cam will be rotated in synchronism with the phonographic apparatus and the moving picture apparatus. The shaft 32 is threaded for a portion of its length as at 36, which threaded portion turns in a fixed feed nut 37 so that the cam. will be caused to shift endwise in its rotary movement,

the shaft in this movement sliding endwise through, while being subjected to the driving action of, the splined pinion 34. The purpose of feeding the cam endwise is to provide an extended and prolonged track without a corresponding increase in diameter.

The cam track extends spirally around the cam. continuously from end to end, and is engaged by a roller 38 mounted on the end of the slide 31, the said roller being maintained in contact with the cam track, and the slide being urged constantly to the right, by means of a weight 38 connected with a cord 39 passing over a guide pulley t0 and consuch movements, the speed of the sprocket chain, and consequently that of the picture film or strip, will be varied as before described.

The cam track is laid out according to the particular inaccuracies in synchronism it is desired to correct, which inaccuracies as before described are determined by a preliminary reproduction and comparison of the phonographic record and the moving picture record independently prepared; or by a comparison between two phonographic records, one prepared in synchronism. with the moving picture record and the other preparedindependently. Guided by the record or notes made of the inaccuracies, and the particular points in the record where the inaccuracies occur, the cam track is shaped and constructed, so that when the cam is incorporated in the operating mechanism as shown, it will act when rotated and moved endwise, to automatically effect in a predetermined manner such changes in speed of the record, that the known inaccuracies will be corrected and the records will be reproduced in proper synchronism.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that by the preparation of the phonographic record with the sounds or words imposed directly onto the receiving instrument, the comparison of this record with the moving picture record portraying the motions and actions associated with the sounds, to determine the extent and character of inaccuracies in synchronism, and the final reproduction of therecords subject to the action of my improved correcting member, acting in a predeterminate manner consonant with the known inaccuracies in synchronism, an

audible animated picture scene or play may be produced in which the sounds will be clear and free from the muffled effects so common, and in which these sounds will be reproduced in proper synchronism with the portrayal of their appropriate actions or movements. It is manifest that the details of the mechanism shown and described for bringing about such synchronism may be variously modified and changed without departing from the limits of my invention, and it will be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular form or construction of the parts, or to any particular method of procedure except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described the combination of a phonographic apparatus, a moving picture apparatus, driving means for operating the same to reproduce their respective records simultaneously and non-synchronously, and a correctingmember of predetermined functional action operated by the driving means and acting automatically to vary the speed of one of the records predeterminately in relation to that of the other record to effect the reproduction of said records in synchronism.

2. In a device of the character described the combination of a phonographic apparatus, a moving picture apparatus, driving means for operating the same to reproduce their respective records simultaneously and non-synchronously, and a correcting member of predetermined functional action operated by the driving means and acting to automatically vary the speed of the picture record predeterminately in relation to that of the phonographic record to effect the reproduction of said records in synchronism.

3. In a device of the character described the combination of a phonographic apparatus, a moving picture apparatus, driving means for'operating the same to reproduce their respective records simultaneously and non-synchronously, and a rotary correcting member of predetermined functional action, operated by the driving means and acting in its rotation to automatically vary the speed of one of the records predeterminately in relation to that of the other record to effect the reproduction of said records in synchronism.

4. In a device of the character described the combination of a phonographic apparatus, a moving picture apparatus, driving means for operating the same to reproduce their records simultaneously, and a rotary cam member operated by the driving means and provided with a cam whose contour represents inaccuracies in synchronism, said cam acting in its rotation to automatically vary the speed of one of the records predeterminately in relation to that of the other record to efi'ect the reproduction of said records in synchronism.

5. In a device of the character described the combination of a phonographic apparatus, a moving picture apparatus, driving means for operating the same to reproduce their records simultaneously, and a rotary cam member movable in the direction of its axis and operated by the driving means, said cam member provided with a cam whose contour represents inaccuracies in synchronism, said cam acting in its movements to automatically vary the speed of one of the records predeterminately in relation to that of the other record to effect the reproduction of said records in synchronism.

6. In a device of the character described the combination of a phonographic apparatus, a moving picture apparatus, driving means therefor acting to reproduce their respective records simultaneously and nonsynchronously, and a correcting member of predetermined functional action operated by the driving means and acting automatically to so predeterminately vary the speed of one tus, a movin of the records in reiation to that of the other, that the said records Wiil be reproduced in synchronism.

7, in a device of the character described the combination of a phonographic apparatus, a moving'picture apparatus, operating means therefor driving connections to the phonographic apparatus, a traveling chain for operating the picture record, a rotary Wheel engaging said chain and having a movement oi translation lengthwise of the chain, driving connections between the operating means and said Wheel for rotating the latter, and means controlled by the operating means for effecting the translating movement of said Wheel in accordance with inaccuracies in synchronism to cause said records-to be reproduced synchronously.

in a device of the character described the combination. of a phonographic apparah picture apparatus driving means for operating said apparatuses to reproduce their respective records simultaneously and non-synchronousiy and a correctmember of predetermined iunctionai ction, operated he driving means acting automatica to vary the speed of one of the records predeterminateiy in relation to that oi the to effect their reproduction s7: 7 smQ 9. device o e character described the combination a phonographic apparatus, moving" picture apparatus including a picture record. driving means for operating the 1 ict record continuousi a rota-r a i ,7 9 J element "or driving means said ment having a movement of translation relatively to said driving means to-vary the speed of the picture record, driving means acting to operate the phonographic apparatus and the said rotary element to cause the records of said apparatuses to be reproduced simultaneously and a member operated by the last mentioneddriving means and acting on the rotary eiement to efi'ect its movement of translation in accordance with the inaccuracies in synchronism to cause the records to be reproduced synchronously.

i0. lin a device of the character described the combination of a phonographic apparatus, a moving picture apparatus, and an endles traveling drive chain for operating the picture record, a rotary sprocket wheel engaging said chain and having a movement of translation in the direction of the travel of the chain, driving means for operating the phonographic apparatus and for rotating the sprocket Wheel to cause the simultaneous reproduction of the respective records, and a rotary cam member operated by the driving means, said cam member being provided with a cam 'WilOSQ contour represents inaccuracies in synchronism, said cam the sprocket Wheei.

in testimony whereof i have stirred my signature in presence of two Witnesses acting to sheet the transiating movement of 

